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Where It Counts, the Effort to Boycott Israel Doesn't Even Register

(Foreign Policy) Steven A. Cook - Those who seek to bring Israel to its knees by rendering it an international pariah through the movement known as BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) have already failed. If one only paid attention to what is being reported from U.S. college campuses, one might believe BDS is thriving. But where it counts - in the halls of government and boardrooms - BDS does not even register. Indeed, 35 U.S. states have enacted anti-BDS legislation. Of the nearly 200 countries in the world, over 160 have relations with Israel, including six members of the Arab League. Sure, Israel endures endless criticism at the UN, but since when does what happens in the General Assembly or Human Rights Council have a bearing on the conduct of global affairs? Almost never. BDS activists have clearly failed to force global firms to unwind their operations in Israel. Israeli firms are too well integrated into global business for international companies to walk away from the country. Campus BDS resolutions have done little to alter the way the world sees Israel, which is too important a geopolitical and economic player to be isolated. The writer is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
2022-05-26 00:00:00
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